Machine for knitting split fabric



June 7, 1932.

J. LAWSON ET AL MACHINE FOR KNITTING SPLIT FABRIC Filed Jan. 8, 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet ,1

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MACHINE FOR KNITTING SPLIT FABRIC Filed Jan. 8, 1929 5 Sheets Sheet 2 Invenions JohnLawson. floaerillllawcsow Jung 7,1932. J L N ET AL 1,862,021

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at? kkukm Patented June 7, 1932 3 UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE" .Tonn LAwsoN AND ROBERT H. LAWSON, 0F PAWTUGKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNORS TO HEMZPHILL COMPANY, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION MASSACHUSETTS MACHINE FOR KNITTING SPLIT FABRIC Application filed January 8, 1929. Serial No. 330,996. I

This invention relates to mechanism for knitting split fabric.

In order that the principle of the invention may be readily understood, we have disclosed a single embodiment thereof in the accompanying drawings, Wherein Fig. 1 is a left hand end elevation of a circular knitting machine constructed in accordance with our invention Fig. 2 is a front elevation upon an enlarged scale of the upper or head part only of the knitting machine shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section upon the line 33 of Fig. 1 looking downward in said figure;

Fig. 4 is a vertical central section taken through the head of the machine;

In Fig. 4a, we have represented, upon an enlarged scale, in an approximate manner, the relative sizes of the sinkers or web holders that knit at the two sides.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the upper end of the needle cylinder and the partial sleeve for acting upon certain of the sinkers or web holders; and

Figs. 6 and 7 are somewhat diagrammatic views of the inside of the cam ring, to show in development the primary and auxiliary knitting cams. I

This invention is applicable to different types of circular knitting machines for kn1tting split fabric. We have, however, chosen to represent the same as embodied in or applied to a circular knitting machine of'the type shown in the patent to Augustin Gagne, No. 1,673,764, dated June 12, 1928, and to which patent we hereby refer for a complete disclosure of those'parts of the mechanism with which our present invention is not particularly concerned or which is not modified by our present invention.

said patent to Gagne, No. 1,673,764, the short butt needles knit at the primary set of knitting cams, and the long butt needles knit at the auxiliary set of knitting cams. At the auxiliary set of knitting cams,the short butt needles pass, without knitting, under certain of the knitting cams of the auxiliary set,

as will be evident from an inspection of Fig.

6 hereof, and the result is a tendency unduly to lengthen the loops or stitches that were knitted upon the short butt needles at the primary set of knitting cams bythe passing of said short butt needles under the referred to cam or cams at the auxiliary set of knitting cams.

At said auxiliary set of knitting cams, the said short butt'needles, being again moved downward, tend to strain their loops and weaken or somewhat enlarge the same, so

that said loops are not wholly uniform with the loops formed upon the long butt needles.

Our present invention is concerned wholly with means for overcoming this difliculty, and accordingly we will not describe at length the means for forming'split work fabric, since that is fully disclosed in said patent to Gagne, No. 1,673,764, to whichfwe have chosen to represent our invention as applied, without, however, limiting it to use on or with such mechanism.

I The machine shown is of the Banner type as modified to effect the formation ofsplit work. It is provided with a needle cylinder 1, which preferably employs latch needles, though our invention is not limited to that type of needle. The sinker cam ring is indicated at 2, and the sinkers are generallyindicated at 3. Those for the long butt needles are, however, provided with forwardly extended guiding ends 4 which are slightly less invertical extent than are the corresponding parts 4 of the sinkers 3 for the short butt needles, for a reason tobe stated hereinafter. Thelatch ring 5is provided at one side with the series of yarn fingers 6 which overlie the primary set of knitting cams 7 (see Figs.6

and 7) carried by a block 8. Said latch ring is provided at the opposite side preferably with a single yarn finger 9 positioned above the auxiliary set of knitting cams indicated at 10 in Figs. 6 and 7, and shown in section in Fig. 4. The said yarn fingers at the main and auxiliary sides are adapted to be. controlled and operated in the manner fully described in said Gagne patent, andin cooperation therewith pickers are employed generally indicated at 11 and 12 in Fig. 2.

Inorder to equalize the loops'at'the two sides-or ,portions of thesplit work fabric, iwe may provide any suitable means, and inasmuch as we believe ourselves to be the first to effect such equalization, We desire to claim the same broadly. Asithaspecificmeans .for effecting such equalization, We have provided the following mechanismconstituting the best means now known to us for carrying T0111 invention into effect.

"Within the needle cylinder 1 weposition thesleeve 13, which fits said needle cylinder irelatively'tightlybut loosely enough to permit the ready slight axial movement which is imparted "thereto at the commencement "and atthe termination of the split work. 'The saidsleeve, at'the top, is provided with 'two'plates 14,15, curved to be concentric with the inner'face of the sleeve 13 and secured theretoby'screws 16 passing through elongated horizontal slots '17, wherebythe said 'gplates maybe moved slightly toward or from each other, thereby exactly conforming in circumferential extent with. the entire "series o'f long" butt needles and their sinkers. While,'therefore, the circumferential extent of said two,plates1'4, 15 may be varied to suit difl'erenttypes of machines, they are here shown as'togetheroccupying180 degrees of "the needle cylinder, as-clearly appears from Fig. .5. "Atftheir meeting ends, said two fplates have an interengaging formation 18, ;sh0Wn1in*Fig.'5. a

" hejpurpose o'f'theinvention is to move the sleeve 13 slightly upwardly at the very commencement ofthe split work and'to restore theisame to its normal or lower posi- "tion' precisely 'at the end thereof. Inasmuch asthe extent of the vertical movement is very "slight and verydifficult to 'make exact, we, r "in jpractice, provide for a slight movement which actually is an over movement and "compensateforsuch portion of-said movemerit asis an over movement'by slightly de- "creasing'the' vertical extent of the inner'guid- "ing ends 4ofthelong buttsinkers (that is, "thesin'kers "for' the long butt needles) by removi'ngmetaldesirablyfrom the top of the i'ding ends "4. lhese'twofactors-thus af- 0rd a practical manner of or means for eff'fecting just the desired upward movement of 'fthesinkers"for'theilong butt needles, so that 50 "while'the loops are'being drawn over the sinkersfor' thelong but-t needles, said sinkers are slightly elevated, and, as'herein shown, 'this elevation" is eifected'through th-eupward rocking movement thereof. vThe relative .435 sizes ot the 7 sinkers .or web holders "for the two sets of needles are approximately indicated in Fig. 4a.

Referring again to Fig. 6 and comparing the height of the cams A, B at the auxiliary side with the height of the corresponding cams A, B at the primary side, it will be seen that the lowermost points or portions of the cams A and B are at a slightly higher level than the correspondingpoints or portions ofzthe cams A, .B. level is in fact very slight, and in pr actioe is substantially or about one sixteenth of an inch. .The difference, however, is an exact one or substantially exact, and maybe expressed in 'hundredths of an inch, but the statement that the diiferenceis about one sixteenth of an inch approximately indicates the difference in levels for the purposeof explaining'the invention.

customarily a. heavier yarn is knitted in at the primary side than at' the auxiliary side. We have discovered that in such caseheretofore, said heavier yarn is strained at the auxiliary side when the butts of the short butt needles pass underthe auxiliary cams. overcome such objection, we have, as stated, positioned'the cams Aand B at'a slightly higher level'from the correspondingpoints or portions o'fthe cams A, B".

It willbe understood, therefore, that the short butt needles at the primary set of knitting cams are drawn downward to a lower level by the cams A, B, or eitherof them, than any of the needles are drawn down by vthecams A, 'B. a In order, therefore, to effect the equalization ofthe loops upon the two sides, the sleeve 13 is provided which, atthe auxiliary side, rocksthe sinkers for the'long butt needles only, sojas to lengthentheloops formed upon the long butt needles and thus equalize them .in length with the :loopsformed upon the'short" butt needles.

Inasmuch as'the'long butt'needles must, in the knitting, pass under the cams A and B, it isevident that, having elevated said cams A' andlB'slightly for the reasons stated, the long'butt'needles will notbe drawn. down far enoughby the cams A' and'Bto maketheir loops aslong asthe loops formed upon the short butt needles. It isfor this reason that The. difference in.

we'provide'means for'moving the sinkers or Web holders-at the auxiliary knittingl'cam side of the machine, so as thus to lengthen the loops formedupon thelong butt needles and make'them exactlythe samein length as the upwardlyto the slight extent desired simultaneously with the commencement" of the split work and tolower the same simultaneously with the completion thereof, we provide any suitablemeans. For'the purpose,

the following means preferably provided to which, however, our invention is in no wise limited.

Upon a bracket, indicated at 18 secured to the under side of the bed plate, is mounted a pivotal pin 19 upon which is axially mounted a horizontal lever 20 having one end 21 extending under the flanged lower end 22 of the sleeve 13. Desirably said flange 22 is provided with verticalopenings 23 receiving the guiding heads 24 of pins or screws 25 tapped into the lower end of the needle cylinder. To the outer end of the lever 20, there is pivoted at 26 a vertical rod 27 extending downwardly, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 1, and adjustably connected at 28 to the outer end of a lever 29 pivoted at 30 and having at its opposite end a pin 31 riding upon the inner surface 32 of the main pattern drum 33. Said inner surface is provided with a cam 34 which is of the length, proportion and shape desired to impart the vertical movements to the sleeve 13 at the desired time. The movements of the sleeve 13 are therefore automatically controlled from the pattern drum of the machine.

It is to be understood that, within the scope and purpose of the invention, any suitable means may be employed to equalize the loops or stitches at the two portions of the fabric and that in accordance with our invention we prevent undue strainupon the loops or stitches formed at the primary knitting cam side of the machine.

Having thus described one illustrative embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being set forth in the following claims.

Claims:

1. Mechanism for. knitting so-called split fabric having opposite suture seams upon a circular knitting machine including a primary set of knitting cams, an auxiliary set of knitting cams, the lowermost of the knitting cams at the auxiliary side being slightly higher than the level of the bottom of the corresponding cams at the primary side, whereby over strain is prevented of loops or stitches formed at the primary knitting side.

2. Mechanism for knitting so-called split fabric having opposite suture seams upon a circular knittingmachine including a primary set of knitting cams, an auxiliary set of knitting cams, and means to elevate slightly during the knitting operation the sinkers at the V auxiliary. side.

3. Mechanism for knitting so-called split fabric having opposite suture seams upon a circular knitting machine including a primary set of knitting cams, an auxiliary set of' knitting cams for respectively knitting the opposing parts of the said fabric, the lowermost of the knitting cams at the auxiliary side being slightly higher than the level of the bottom of the corresponding cams at the primary side, and means to elevate slightly at the auxiliary side the sinkers or web holders during the knitting operation of said fabric.

4. Mechanism for knitting so-called split fabric having opposite suture seams upon a circular knitting machine including a primary set of knitting cams, an auxiliary set of knitting cams, the drawing down cams on the auxiliary side being positioned at a very slightly higher level than the corresponding cams at the primary knitting side, and means whereby the sinkers at the auxiliary side are moved so as slightly to enlarge the loops formed at the auxiliary side.

5. Mehanism for knitting so-called split fabric having opposite suture seams upon a circular knitting machine including a primary set of knitting cams, an auxiliary set of knitting cams, a sleeve concentric with the knitting cylinder and having provisions for engaging sinkers at the auxiliary side to move the same upwardly, and means to move said sleeve upwardly at the commencement of split work, and to depress the same at the termination of split work.

6. Mechanism for knitting so-called split fabric having opposite suture seams upon a circular knittingmachineincluding a primary set of knitting cams, an auxiliary set of knitting cams, a sleeve concentric with the knitting cylinder and having provisions for engageing sinkers at the auxiliary side to move the same upwardly, and automatially controlled means to move said sleeve upwardly at the commencement of splitwork, and to depress the same at the termination of split work.

7. Mechanism for knitting so-called split fabric having opposite suture seams upon a circular knitting machine including a primary set of knitting cams, an auxiliary set of knitting cams, sinkers for the needles respectively, the sinkers at the auxiliary side at the part over which the yarn or thread is drawn being of very slightly less vertical extent than the corresponding formations at the primary knitting side, and means to elevate slightly for and during split work the sinkers at the auxiliary side.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

JOHN LAWSON. ROBERT H. LAWSON. 

